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Elijah Cummings, the Homeowner Crusader

'Not all of Congress understands how serious this problem is,' Cummings says. |
Jay Westcott/POLITICO
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“They were complaining that they were trying to get modifications and that paperwork was being lost,” Cummings said. “They would call a mortgage company, and they couldn’t get anyone. They would call one time and talk to somebody, then call back” and get the runaround.

Sometimes, “if they were able to work out an agreement, then suddenly, the mortgage company would tell them, ‘We don’t have a deal,’” Cummings said. “They’d come home, and there would be a foreclosure notice on their door. That really upset me.”

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So Cummings took a hands-on, do-it-yourself approach. He invited distressed homeowners and bank representatives to meet in person.

“I figured if I could get the homeowner together with the bank and actually set up some appointments at a school on a Saturday, then they could see them face-to-face,” he said, describing what he calls foreclosure prevention workshops. Those events, he added, now draw upward of 1,100 homeowners.

“The mortgage company brings their computers; the homeowner brings hardship letters, statements about income, loss of a job, things of that nature, tax returns,” he said. “And they actually sit down and work out a deal.”

After a half-dozen workshops over a few years, Cummings said, “we’ve been able to help about 4,000 people stay in their homes.”

An administration official who did not want to be named said Cummings’s approach mirrors the White House’s housing strategy, particularly in offering direct aid to homeowners, including refinancing options at reduced fees and low interest rates and a hardship program allowing a year’s forbearance to the unemployed and the ability stay in their homes.

Cummings acknowledges there has been progress: In 2008 and 2009, at the height of the crisis, an estimated 7 million households were facing foreclosure, compared with roughly 5 million now. But those millions, he said, still need help, and it can’t come fast enough.“We just got to chip away,” he said.”

“Every time I go to one of my foreclosure conferences,” he added, “I get up and say, ‘We are in a storm.’ I say to them, ‘You know, the question is not whether we’ll get through the storm, because we are a great country. We’ll get through the storm.

“The question is, who will be living in your house after the storm is over?”

CORRECTION: Darrell Issa's first name was spelled wrong in an earlier version of this story.

Readers' Comments (50)

Maybe he will help the homeowners of Lake of the Ozarks MOand the thousands of foreclosures that will be FORCED by Ferc/AMEREN. Then they will be followed by bankruptcies. Maybe he might listen since obviously the White House is not! This will then follow to all other shorelines in the country.

Mortgage Rates have hit an all time low! For many, these rates will be the lowest we see in our lifetime. Rates change several times throughout the day, so to get an accurate quote search online for 123 Refinance learn about mortgage refi before you do refi on your home.

I hope he can stop Obama. Obama has ravaged the country and increased the poverty rate to the highest level in history.

Unemployment among blacks and hispanics is 11% & 16%. Something must be done to get Obama out of office, I hope Cummings can help the poor and everyone else in this. Obama should step down that would be the dignified thing to do or like LBJ relieve Americans by telling them he will not run again.

Infrastructure jobs should have meant insulating every building in a American to lower electric utility costs monthly for businesses and home and apartment residents. Not tar on top of tar roads. Energy conservation comes first.

This would have increased home equity. Set up a Green Credit Card for insulation, solar hot-air heating, photovoltaic power... Then banks would have a way to raise the value of the home mortgages they hold.

I am pleased to see an article about a member of our Congress actually attempting to REPRESENT people in his district. He is actively advocating for the people who elected him. In other words, he's doing his job-- even if it requires speaking ill of people who "outrank" him. Would that others would attempt the same.

Cummings crusades against the people who work hard and balance their checkbooks and pay their bills. He crusades to bring down all home prices and punish the honest people of America who follow the rules.

Mr. Cummings, until your SCOAMF President stops breaking the economy and until the private sector creates jobs, which will require SIGNIFICANT regulatory relief and radical simplification of the tax code, there will be no economic growth and there will be no job creation. The housing market will stay in the toilet until there are jobs. And when you leftists are less worried about delta smelts than human beings, maybe we can talk. But I for one am not holding my breath. Oh, and I like how you devote so much of your time and criticism to originators of this whole catastrophe, namely Fannie and Freddie.

Oh, and I like how you devote so much of your time and criticism to originators of this whole catastrophe, namely Fannie and Freddie.

And, let's not let those who took out those mortgages they knew full well they couldn't afford. Nobody forced them to sign on the dotted line. We are all responsible for our own decisions and actions. Betting and losing on the housing market and people's desire to live beyond their means are what is at he base of the housing debacle.

And it’s pain he knows first-hand. In 1997, just after Baltimore voters swept him into Congress, Cummings fell six months behind on his mortgage payments. Unless he came up with nearly $6,000 — and fast — the bank would take his home and kick him to the street.

Cummings made his payments and kept his home, and 14 years later, he was reluctant to talk with POLITICO about his brush with foreclosure.

He got elected and then fell 6 months behind in his payments? Did he think if he got elected he wouldn't have to pay his bills? And where exactly did he come up with $6,000 after he was elected? Lobbyists? Campaign funds?

Hey, Joe, did it never occur to you to ask where he got $6,000? He got elected and all his financial problems vanished? This guy has crook written all over him…

Liberal hacks like Cummings force banks to give loans to people with no down payment,and a bad credit history, on houses they could never afford. Then squall for the government to interfere when the bank is forced to repossess the collateral.

“The mortgage company brings their computers; the homeowner brings hardship letters, statements about income, loss of a job, things of that nature, tax returns,” he said. “And they actually sit down and work out a deal.”

Notice he did NOT say the BANK.

He said "Mortgage Company"........Fannie Mae is what he is avoiding... but what he means.

He needs to investigate Fannie/Freddie ....BUT...He won't.

He WON'T investigate his buddie Barney Frank.

He won't accept the fact that ACORN and the NAACP pushed for lending to PEOPLE who wanted NINJA loans.

Everyone wants the housing to become better and the economy will NOT become better until it does.

Cummings is blowing smoke about "WHO" is to blame.

I don't want to PAY for someones house...... when they spend their money on Apples latest gadget or some Concert they want to attend.

People need to pay their Mortgage FIRST.

Cummings needs to speak OUT about the arm twisting that led to this mess and he can start with Barney Frank.

Hello? Is this the Cummings who I see on C-Span with his palms up just taking in the fallout from Washington. The person who supports Fred Mac, Mae, Medicare, Medicaid, Welfare, Unemployment extension, freebees to mortgage holders (and banks), vote in 2 hours for a HC plan and Stimulus? Support borrowing from China? Support Barney Frank and the 5% mortgages with no jobs or identification? Is this the same person who wants higher tarrifs to protect the workers? Hello can you say Smoot Holley Tarrif Bill? Can you can the same person I see day after day want to raise taxes but never cut one penny of spending? Cummings votes consistently for more programs, regulations, and then Politico wants to show he is sympathetic to the poor. In essence he has really created the poor environment of no jobs with supporting policies of give aways that taxpayers are finally wanting to stop and Cummings is campaigning against any cuts to help the poor in the long run.

Congressman Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, in letters co-signed by 27 Members of Congress, wrote to President Obama, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) urging the Administration to expand protections for struggling homeowners.

Last month, the Administration announced that it was extending to 12 months the forbearance period for unemployed homeowners with mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or serviced by mortgage servicers participating in the Making Home Affordable (MHA) program.

Cummings’ letters commended the Administration for these actions and asked that this extended forbearance period also be applied to homeowners with mortgages owned or insured by other agencies and entities across the federal government, including FHFA and VA.http://cummings.house.gov/2011...

People who were allowed to purchase homes with no income verification and have not payed their mortgages are now allowed to stay in these homes without paying for an additional year because of Cummings and other Democrats efforts. The huge cost of this is entirely at taxpayer's expense and does nothing to improve the government induced problem. The program provides no long-term solution and does not keep people in homes in the long-term.

Cummmings blames lenders and Wall Street for duping buyers of mortgages while excusing the policies of government requiring banks to extend these loans. He ignores the corruption and political control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He ignores the fact that the Clinton administration removed restrictions on banks to bundle derivatives and contributed to the crisis.

Cummings and other Democrats look for more and more ways for taxpayers to support and continue to pay to keep people in homes they do not now or will in the future be able to afford. Cummings is fighting to extend the problem that he is greatly responsible for in the first place. Cummings sets himself up as the defender of homeowners, ignoring his role in causing the problem. Given half a chance Cummings would repeat the programs that led to the subprime mortgage meltdown.

Former Pres. Bill Clinton, “I think the responsibilty that the Democrats have may rest more in resisting any efforts by Republicans in the congress or by me when I was president to put some standards and tighten up a little on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.”

Liberal ideas are a lot of things: dangerous, wasteful, unconstitutional, even socialist at times.

It isn't 99% vs. 1%. Its 47% vs. 53% (includes the 1%). Why should the 53% paying taxes, pay for free college for the 47% that don't pay any taxes?

Why are union members protesting corporations buying political influence and CEO pay when for example, the UAW donated $150 Million to Obama's election and union leadership get paid like CEOs? As a return on investment, the UAW got over $90 Billion in bailouts.

Why is it that every other organization has to get permits, bonds, clean up crews prepaid and the OWS does nothing but insist they have more rights?

Why is it that the Tea Party is called Terrorists by Biden and the OWS are patriots?